JAKARTA: Having defended the SEA Games gold medal last night proved Harimau Muda are Asean’s best, and winning the SEA Games 2009 and the Asean Football Federation Cup (AFF) in 2010 was no fluke, either.

Although the performance of Harimau Muda prior to this was disputed, the absolute victory on Monday silenced the Indonesian media and fanatical supporters of the Garuda Muda squad.

The Indonesian media now admittedMalaysiais King of Asean Football.

Malaysiadefended the gold medal it won inLaosin 2009 by subduingIndonesia4-3 through a penalty shootout on Monday.

MalaysiabeatIndonesia1-0 in the last match of Group A, and on Monday,Malaysiatamed them again on their own sacred field, Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Ong said the match would not have gone into extra time or a penalty shootout had Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria, Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim and Izzaq Faris Ramlan been able to play. They were injured in the match against Myanmar.

Malaysia stepped into the final match after beating Myanmar 1-0 while Indonesia beat Vietnam 2-0 in another semi-final match.

Ong said he had told his players to make short passes during extra time as they were already tired after playing three
matches with only a day’s rest in between matches.

He also said Mohamad Fadhli Mohd Shas’s dan Mohd Irfan Fazail’s experiences in Slovakia also contributed to the squad’s game.

He also gave credit to his players who were not disturbed by the psychological play of the opposition supporters but focused fully on the game.

After Datuk K Rajagobal tasted the sweetness of being called champion of the football event at the SEA Games 2009, it is now Ong’s turn.

But, maybe not for long, as a more important mission awaits his squad – facing Syria in the Olympic qualifier at Bukit Jalil National Stadium today. — Bernama